Insulated battens for installation of exterior wall insulation at corners and architectural trim

ABSTRACT

An insulated trim batten for installing exterior wall insulation. The insulated trim batten comprises a strip of insulating foam having a chamfer along one edge, laminated to a wooden nailable substrate. The insulated trim batten reduces the compression of compressible insulation materials, the thermal bridging of fasteners, and eliminate water entrapment.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an insulated trim batten to accommodate installation of exterior wall insulation adjacent to corners and architectural trim of buildings, and to a method for covering building walls using the insulated trim batten.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Each revision of the International Residential Code (IRC) tends to increase the energy requirements specified therein. The 2012 revision of the IRC requires more insulation, a tighter building envelope, tighter ducts, better windows, and more efficient lighting than the 2009 code. Wall insulation requirements have become more stringent in climate zones 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8; for the first time, builders in climate zones 6, 7, and 8 will be required to install exterior rigid foam insulation, or to use some other comparable wall insulation strategy. Every new home built to meet the higher standards of the 2012 IRC will need to develop a strategy to prevent thermal bridging through structural members. Standard wood furring strips are currently used to provide enhanced drainage behind exterior claddings. Standard wood furring strips have low thermal resistance which is problematic in meeting the higher standards of the 2012 IRC. Additionally, furring strips reduce the R-value of conventional compressible insulation materials when they are installed over the insulation materials and reduce the entrapped air. Some claddings installed over exterior wall insulation need to be structurally backed. To do this without blocking the vapor permeability of the insulation material itself, battens are installed on the stud supports. However, stud support battens are too narrow to accommodate the attachment of claddings at wall corners and where architectural trim is used. Insulated stud support battens are known that comprise an elongate wooden strip with a rectangular cross sectional profile laminated to a strip of rigid insulating foam having the cross sectional profile of an isosceles trapezoid. However, stud support battens are too narrow to accommodate the attachment of claddings at wall corners and where architectural trim is used.

There is a need for means to prevent thermal bridging, and increase R-value, in building envelopes at wall corners and where architectural trim is used,

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the invention is an insulated trim batten comprising an elongate wooden strip with a rectangular cross sectional profile having a front face and a back face, a strip of rigid insulating foam having the cross sectional profile of an rectangular parallelepiped with a chamfer on a first edge, a narrow face and a wide face, the narrow face of the strip of insulating foam is laminated on the back face of said elongate wooden strip.

Another embodiment of the invention is an insulated trim batten comprising an elongate wooden strip with a rectangular cross sectional profile having a front face and a back face, a strip of rigid insulating foam having the cross sectional profile of an rectangular parallelepiped with a chamfer on a first edge, a narrow face and a wide face, the narrow face of the strip of insulating foam is laminated on the back face of said elongate wooden strip, wherein the elongate wooden strip is used as a nailable substrate.

Another embodiment of the invention is an insulated trim batten that provides additional insulation around architectural trim, windows, doors or any penetration.

DEFINITIONS

The term “furring strip” is used herein to refer to an elongate strip of wood or metal fixed to a wall, floor, or ceiling to provide a surface for the fixing of building materials such as weather resistant barrier, cladding, etc.

The term “building code” is used herein to refer to a series of ordinances enacted by a state or local governmental entity, establishing minimum requirements that must be met in the construction and maintenance of buildings.

The term “building envelope” is used herein to refer to a system or assembly of exterior wall components, including exterior wall finish materials, that provide protection of the building structural members, including framing and sheathing materials, and conditioned interior space, is from the detrimental effects of the exterior environment.

The term “cladding” is used herein to refer to any material that constitutes the exposed, non-load bearing, exterior covering of an exterior wall. Such material is applied over any sheathing that is present, or otherwise is directly attached to the building envelope as the outermost component of the wall system.

The term “wall studs” is used herein to refer to the any of the stick-like parts that form the vertical structural framework of a wall. Wall studs may be load-bearing or nonload-bearing.

The term “water-resistive barrier” is used herein to refer to a material that is intended to resist liquid water that has penetrated behind the cladding from further intruding into the exterior wall assembly. The water-resistive barrier is placed on the interior side of the cladding.

The term “weather-resistive barrier” is used herein to refer to a material that is intended to resist both liquid water and air that has penetrated behind the cladding from further intruding into the exterior wall assembly. The weather-resistive barrier is placed on the interior side of the cladding.

The term “WRB” is used herein to refer to either a water-resistive barrier or a weather-resistive barrier, which are used for analogous purposes in residential and commercial, respectively, construction.

The term “nailable substrate” is used herein to refer to a material such as framing, sheathing, or furring, composed of wood or wood-based materials, or other materials and fasteners providing equivalent fastener withdrawal resistance,

The term “rectangular parallelepiped” is used herein to refer to a cuboid having six mutually orthogonal rectangular faces.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a view of an insulated trim batten.

FIG. 2 depicts a view of a pair of insulated trim battens arranged in an inside corner configuration.

FIG. 3 depicts a view of a pair of insulated trim battens arranged in an outside corner configuration.

FIG. 4 depicts a view of insulated trim battens installed around a window frame.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The 2012 IRC building code requires additional wall insulation, which will alter typical building practices, The present invention will be used with conventional compressible insulation materials such as, but not limited to, insulating home wrap, mineral wool, fiberglass, cotton, cellulose, insulation blankets, and vermiculite. The present invention is especially useful for exterior wall insulation in the form of a batt that contains staple fibers that pack together in an open or loose manner. Standard wood furring strips are currently used to provide enhanced drainage behind exterior claddings but their low R-Value is problematic in meeting the energy requirements of the 2012 IRC. Wood furring strips are also problematic in that they compress the insulation material. It is found that when a furring strip is installed over insulation materials they are compressed down to approximately ¼″ in thickness. Insulation materials depend on entrapped air space to provide insulation properties.

Compression will reduce the entrapped air space, increase density, and result in a lower R-Value. The insulated trim batten 100 of the present invention will achieve an acceptable R-Value as the conventional compressible insulation materials are compressed to an extent that does not reduce the R-value of the insulation material below that required to meet the building code requirement, which is summarized in Table 1. The insulated trim batten of Table 1 was comprised of a ¾inch plywood portion laminated to a 9/16 inch rigid foam portion.

in addition to providing thermal insulation, the insulated trim batten 100 will reduce the thermal bridging of fasteners used to fasten the insulated trim batten to a wall in comparison to furring strips.

The insulated trim batten 100 is used with one or more other insulated trim battens in a configuration to accommodate inside corners, outside corners, and architectural trim. The insulated trim batten 100 is wide enough for typical corner trim and has a nailable substrate capable of supporting the attachment of cladding.

The insulated trim batten of the present invention 100 will consist of a rigid foam strip 20 having a chamfer on one edge. In general, the rigid foam strip 20 is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped having one edge chamfered, leaving the rigid foam strip 20 with a narrow face and a wide face. The angle of the chamfer functions to reduce the compression of conventional insulation materials along with which the insulated trim batten is installed. Optionally, the chamfer of the rigid foam strip 20 may be arcuate. Rigid foam 20 provides necessary thermal resistance to the wall where conventional compressible insulation materials are compressed. Rigid foam materials that may be used include polyisocyanurates polyurethanes, extruded polystyrene, expanded polystyrene, tannic foams, phenolic foams, biophenolics foams, and combinations thereof.

The insulated trim batten of the present invention 100 also consists of an elongated wooden portion that serves as a nailable substrate 10 for fastening exterior cladding. The wooden nailable substrate 10 in general is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. Wooden materials that may be used include oriented strand board (OSB), various densities of fiberboard such as MDF, pine, spruce, fir, plywood, and combinations thereof. Plywood is the preferred wooden portion. The wooden portion may, optionally, be pressure treated for improved resistance to insects, microorganisms and fungal decay. The nailable substrate 10 has a front face, a back face, and a first edge and a second edge.

The back face of wooden strip 10 is laminated to the narrow face of rigid foam strip 20 to form insulated trim batten 100. The lamination may use any conventional lamination process. The adhesive may be any applicable adhesive that is compatible with foams and wood. In general, the chamfered edge protrudes from one edge of the wooden strip 10 and the other edge of the rigid foam is squared-off and even with other the edge of the wooden strip 10. The square edge of insulated trim batten 100 allows it to be easily arranged to form inside corner trim 200, and outside corner trim 300. It also allows the square edge to butt up against other structural members.

The thickness of the insulated trim batten 100 plays a critical role.

In terms of thickness, a properly designed insulated trim batten will provide an air space between the WRB 700 and the exterior cladding for enhanced drainage and drying for any moisture that may get behind the cladding. Although there is no limitation to the dimensions of the insulated trim batten, it is illustrative to discuss them in a size comparable to a standard furring strip. Illustratively, the insulated trim batten 100 will be approximately 2½″×1½″×48″.

EXAMPLES Comparative Example 1

A compressible insulation that was covered by a water-resistive barrier was placed over typical wooden furring strips that were fastened onto a wall at all inside and outside corners, around window and doors, top and bottom of wall, etc. Thermal images of the wall were taken with a FLIR infrared camera.

Example 1

Rigid insulation was laminated to the back of a number of wood furring strips. A chamfer was cut on one side of the rigid insulation to form insulated trim battens. The chamfer allowed the insulation to conform to the insulated trim batten and reduced the gradual compression of the insulation and water-resistive barrier product. The side without a chamfer was installed where gradual compression was not required, e.g. inside and outside corners, window openings, top and bottom of walls, etc. insulated trim battens were fastened onto a wall at all inside and outside corners, around window and doors, top and bottom of wall, etc. A compressible insulation attached to a water-resistive barrier was installed over insulated trim battens. Thermal images of the wall were taken with a FUR infrared camera. Compared to the thermal images obtained in Comparative Example 1, The insulated trim batten and uncompressed insulation provided necessary thermal resistance to the wall where the insulation was compressed in Comparative Example 1. The wooden portion of the insulated trim batten was used as a fastener base for the exterior cladding. This provided a benefit since it wasn't necessary for the cladding fastener to penetrate the framing member which resulted in a shorter fastener. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An insulated trim batten comprising an elongate wooden strip with a rectangular cross sectional profile having a front face and a back face, a strip of rigid insulating foam having the cross sectional profile of an rectangular parallelepiped with a chamfer on a first edge with a narrow face and a wide face, the narrow of the strip of insulating foam is laminated on the back face of said elongate wooden strip.
 2. The insulated batten of claim 1 wherein said elongate wooden strip is a nailable substrate. 